The Curses of Such a Life
by Enigma8
Summary: When an operation goes sour, Sydney and Vaughn must turn to a ghost from the past for help...


Title: The Curses of Such a Life  
  
Disclaimer: All the characters and some story elements are property of ABC Corp., Bad Robot Productions, and J.J. Abrams. I'm not making any money off of this, so please, no lawsuits! This story is entirely a work of fiction. None of the characters are real, none of the events really happened. Any resemblance to real people or actual events is purely coincidental.  
  
Rated: I'm not sure yet, but it'll probably be around PG-13 at some point or the other.  
  
Okay, here goes!  
  
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Chapter One- The search for reason  
  
An instant wave of surrealism washed over the young agent as she heard the horrifying news. Time seemed to slow to a halt as her face paled in utter disbelief. Losing her balance, she stumbled backward into the wobbly wire fencing behind her. The cold weave of metal compounded the effect, along with the dim lighting and the concrete floor. The fence bent inward; it felt like it was about to fall over, but she didn't care. Her throat was dry, her lips pursed, trying to understand. She tried to speak, but simply couldn't. Shaking, she slowly crumbled to the floor. Dust was swept up into her clothes and hair. It went in with her breath, forcing out a coughing fit, but she still couldn't' get up. She finally mustered up all her remaining strength to croak out a single response. "Why- why do we have to live like this?" Her gaze shifted upward from the floor to the man before her.  
  
He moved from his position leaning on a table to sit down on the floor beside her. He leaned over, grasped her shoulders, and pulled her upright. She spun herself around to face him. His hand moved to her face. Her typically gorgeous and inquisitive eyes were now sunken in, distorted, and reddened. He swept his fingers across her cheeks, wiping away the strains of tears that had run down so far. She looked at him forlornly. She was lost, frightened, and needed him now- he felt it in his soul. He shook his head in resignation. "Oh, Sydney," he sighed, pulling her head toward his chest, where she buried her face.  
  
They sat there like that for five minutes in complete silence. Both were lost in their thoughts. Sydney eventually sat up and calmly gazed into his eyes. "Vaughn, I've been working in this business for nearly eight years. I've been all over the world. I've met all kinds of people. I've seen so many things from children to world leaders, from the richest cities to the swankiest villages, from the good and the bad, but I still don't understand why there has to be such pure evil in this world. I've seen Sloane and Sark and Khasinau- even my own mother, but I still don't understand why they do the things they do- why they force us to do the things we do."  
  
Vaughn eyed her carefully. Her face was beginning to regain its color, but he sensed that she would need more to recover completely. More information, more care, more support- all of it- to bring back Sydney from the realms of self-conflict and depression. He pondered over her last few statements- her train of thought. It was a necessary question whose answer was as chaotic as a mathematical singularity. He began to explain his thoughts: "It would of course defy logic. Yet, so do many things in this existence: fate, chance, love. But that sort of reasoning brings you no closer to a true answer. We must find the answer to those questions within ourselves."  
  
"But we don't think like them! We don't act like them! We don't want to hurt anyone like they do- like they're doing to Dad!" She shook her head in desperation. "I don't even know where he's being taken to now! Everything that's happening just feels like it's all my fault!" Chapter 2- The truth of the matter  
  
Vaughn's heart ached to see Sydney in such a state. Her father, Jack, had led a covert mission into a weapon storage facility. It was across the globe- somewhere in Saudi Arabia. Operated by a rogue known as Hakim Al- Hajideen, it was a budding new trading post for all types of new military technology. Hidden away in the sands of rolling deserts, it was right in the middle of the hotbed that is the Middle East. It was within reach of nearly any terrorist- provided they had the cash. Jack's team was going to scout the facility's technology stockpile, recover anything of interest to the Central Intelligence Agency, and destroy the rest with explosives.  
  
At least that was the plan. Now? Well, saying the mission went to hell was an understatement. According to Agency informants in the region, it appeared that the facility had an additional fourth level backup alarm system, which they had not been aware of. Fifty men charged in on Jack's six. Jack and two technicians were captured. The others were killed in the crossfire. As for what happened to Jack and his comrades, it was rumored that they were being shifted all around the Middle East, likely being interrogated constantly- surely at each stop.  
  
Sydney had just kept looking at him blankly when he told her about the incident a few minutes earlier. Her face had been blank, expressionless. Then finally, Vaughn knew, his words had hit. The reaction emerged, and here they were, on the floor. "It's not your fault," he whispered. "Your father has been with the Agency longer than you have been on this earth. He's done this sort of thing before. There was Hassan-"  
  
She interrupted him, "Hassan is nothing compared to Al-Hajideen! Heck, I was even with my father when he took Hassan! He's alone now! Don't lie to me- you know it as well as I do!" Tears began to swell in her eyes again.  
  
"I know, but all I mean to say is that your father has survived before. And look, he's not alone this time either," he said reassuringly but in vain.  
  
"Yes, he is alone. Those other two men with him- they're just op-techs. They weren't shot because they weren't armed. They're not trained to fight the way field agents are. They're trained to look at a gizmos and gadgets and immediately tell you what it's for and how to use it." She paused, trying to align her thoughts. "I still don't understand the minds of the people who do this kind of thing! I'm sorry, Vaughn, but I have to talk about this. It might not contribute to the situation at hand, but it's like this block in my head.I have to clear it before I can think about anything else."  
  
He nodded at her patiently, all the while appreciating her efforts to rationalize the horrible mess her life was in. He felt for her deeply. When he went home, he could tell his friends where he worked. He didn't worry about his employer trying to kill off his family and acquaintances. On the other hand, Sydney was forced to live her life as a lie. She lived three lives: The happy-go-lucky graduate student, the SD-6 terrorist, and the CIA goddess of divine retribution.  
  
"Okay, we'll talk about it," he replied. "That's what I'm here for. I'll always be here for you, Sydney. You don't have to cover your secrets and your thoughts from me. I'm here. I'm a constant." He paused, not knowing if he had given the right answer. He watched her facial movements carefully. Every curve sparkled with the glint of teardrops. The twinkling array began to move as Sydney's mouth curved into a first smile, and Vaughn knew he had done right. 


End file.
